The Collected

Director - Raymond Cara

Starring - Lexy Robidoux, Artemis Lupercalia, and Evan Robidoux

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (YouTube)

Rating (out of 5):

     Earlier this year I found the Instagram page for filmmaker Raymond Cara who was releasing his new short Slimebox.  It was a wild and messy short that I really enjoyed.  Since then I've kept an eye on Raymond and his work so I don't miss out on his newest mild melting film.  A few weeks ago Raymond reached out to me to check out his newest short The Collected.  I shared the initial release on the site when it went live but I never had the chance to check it out until now. Honestly, I shouldn't have waited because it was one hell of a horror short.

     The film follows The Collector who is a clown that has a peculiar eye collectibles.  He spots a young boy that he wants to add his collection.  He then lures him back to his home and shows him a secret room made out balloons.  The young boy goes in and returns as a balloon sculpture that he then adds to his ever growing collection of balloons.  

     I didn't know what The Collected was or what it was about.  I did know Cara released a fantastically fun short Slimebox and I had high hopes for this.  It did not disappoint and I look forward to future projects.  The acting in this one is rather unusual.  There is no real dialogue but the character interactions is done by gestures and facial expressions.  The way this was done makes the film even more eerie and unnerving then it would have been had the cast actually talked or communicated in conventional means.  The story for this one is extremely simple, bleak, and unnerving especially if you are a parent.  It's not an extreme horror film that uses shock value to get under the viewer's skin.  Instead, it uses atmosphere and tension to work.  Finally, don't expect a bloody or gory short.  It has amazing lighting, cinematography and set design to make the story have the impact that it does.  Overall, The Collected is a short that works.  It's not gruesome or violent but it does pack an emotional punch especially if you are a parent.  I highly recommend it.